Trump commutes prison sentence of ex-lawmaker George Santos

October 18, 2025

US President Donald Trump commuted the prison sentence of disgraced former New York Congressman George Santos, who was serving a 7-year prison term for fraud and identity theft, and ordered his immediate release.

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George Santos, seen here wearing suit and tie — The rise and fall of Santos captivated Washington between 2022-2023 [FILE: Oct 12, 2023]Image: Annabelle Gordon/CNP/abaca/picture alliance

President Donald Trump said Friday he commuted the sentence of George Santos, a disgraced former Republican congressman who was serving a seven-year term.

"George has been in solitary confinement for long stretches of time and, by all accounts, has been horribly mistreated,” the president wrote in a statement on his Truth Social platform.

"Therefore, I just signed a Commutation, releasing George Santos from prison, IMMEDIATELY. Good luck George, have a great life!" he added.

Santos was sentenced to a seven-year prison term after he pleaded guilty to inflating fundraising figures and falsifying donor names to secure Republican Party financial support during the 2022 election cycle.

Santos sentenced to seven years in prison this April

Santos was sentenced to 87 months in federal prison this April, after having pleaded guilty to wire fraud and aggravated identity theft last year in August.

He reported to a New Jersey prison this July.

Santos surprisingly won a congressional seat in 2022 that marked the beginning of his brief, scandal-filled tenure.

He was expelled from Congress in 2023 after he was indicted on 23 counts of wire fraud, identity theft and other campaign finance charges.

Santos faced scandal soon after having won the congressional seat with US media outlets having published that he lied during his campaign for a seat in the US House.

Santos claimed he attended New York University, worked at Goldman Sachs and Citigroup and that his grandparents had fled the Nazis during World War II.

Santos appeals for reprieve

Santos appealed to Trump earlier this week, publishing what he called a "passionate plea to President Trump," praising him and asking for "the opportunity to return to my family, my friends, and my community."

During his second term, Trump has made sweeping use of his clemency powers, including issuing controversial pardons and commutations for the perpetrators of the January 6, 2021 attack on the US Capitol.

Edited by: Rana Taha

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